A Fine Mess
by Makou
Summary: It's Garnet and Zidane's fiftieth anniversary and Prince Zircon has his hands full.
1. Default Chapter Title

Notes: Garnet, Zidane, Alexandria, and all other characters and locations originally mentioned  
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.  
Questions, comments, and constructive critisicm are more than welcome.  
  
A Fine Mess - Chapter 1  
by Makou  
  
  
Today was Queen Garnet's and King Zidane's fiftieth wedding anniversary and the whole of  
Alexandria was celebrating. The inns were booked solid, the streets were packed, and commerative  
plates dedicated to the momentous event were all sold out.  
  
To top it all of, the famous Tantalus group of Lindblum had arrived via airship to perform  
the Queen's favourite play, 'I Want to be Your Canary'. Needless to say, the tickets had sold as  
well as the plates and the rooftops were already crowded with those who weren't lucky enough to  
get a hold of a ticket.  
  
The 49 year old son of the Queen, Prince Zircon, wasn't to eager to celebrate. The  
festivities had meant that security had become exceptionally difficult; who knew what could  
happen if just one person decided to do something dangerous? And thus he was pushing his Pluto  
Knights to the limit, making more than a few of his knights threaten resignation.  
  
*That Siria is being far too complacent,* thought Zircon bitterly after barking orders to  
a couple of straggling knights. *Her soldiers have been doing next to nothing! Why, anyone could  
waltz right into the throne room and put a knife to my mother's throat!*  
  
Zircon was a rather imposing presence. A clear foot taller than his father and muscle to  
spare, he walked around as if he owned the place, even if he didn't. His blonde hair and beard  
were heavily flecked with grey and his brown eyes were always narrowed as if he was wondering  
what incredibly horrible event was going to transpire next. Naturally, at the moment he was  
wearing his entire suit of steel armor and in deference to the occasion, a scarlet cape. Plus,  
if one looked closely enough, they could just see the furry brown tail hiding behind the armor.  
  
"Captain, there's been a disturbance in Alexandria Square." reported a knight Zircon  
recognized as Mikhail. "When I left, Thimis and Loren are working to rectify the situation."  
  
"Exactly what has happened?" Zircon quickly asked.  
  
"A male Red Mage has been randomly setting of fire spells for an unknown reason. Two  
commoners were injured."  
  
Zircon swore under his breath before running towards the square, Mikhail following close  
behind. In normal circumstances, he would simply let those under his command deal with such a  
problem, but in such a highly charged atmosphere, it could quickly get out of control.  
  
His arrival at his destination was slightly delayed by an overworked boat rower, but when  
he finally did arrive, he found Thimis and Loren trying their best to wrestle the miscreant to  
the ground. A crowd of onlookers stood by, many of whom were cheering the soldiers on. A few, he  
noticed, were actually cheering on the Red Mage. Thankfully, a couple of passing White Mages had  
decided to tend to the injured.  
  
He came to a halt in front of the Red Mage, who hesitated for a moment before the knights  
finally got him under control.  
  
"Take him to the dungeon. I wish to question him," said Zircon to Thimis and Loren. They  
did as told after taking a moment to handcuff their prisoner. The crowd parted out of their way,  
although they didn't bother to be silent.  
  
Zircon turned to Mikhail. "Return to the castle and if anyone else should report anything,  
inform me immediately, understand?" Mikhail nodded mutely and he hurried out of square.  
  
The dungeon was not Zircon's favourite place. It was dark, it was dank, in fact it was  
every dungeon cliche you could think of. And there was Zircon's ever so slight claustrophobia  
problem...  
  
"Let's make this quick," began Zircon to the Red Mage, who was now safely behind bars.  
"Who are you and why did you decide to go and set fire to people?"  
  
The mage was silent.  
  
"Speak, will you? The longer you rufuse to speak, the angrier I will get, and the worse it  
will become for you, understand?"  
  
The mage was still silent. Zircon was unimpressed to notice a clever smirk on the mage's  
face. He hated it when criminals thought they were being clever.  
  
"Captain, I took his wallet out when we subdued him and I've taken a look at his ID cards.  
His name's Nickel Gerard," said Loren.  
  
Zircon frowned ever so slightly, but continued. "Well, Nickel. That answers my first  
question; could you be so kind as to answer my second?"  
  
"No way!" said Nickel, that stupid smirk still smeared across his face.  
  
"Thimis, Loren, I don't have time to deal with this. Make his life miserable for me while  
I deal with important matters."  
  
"Yes, sir!" said Thimis and Loren, each ripping off impressive salutes. With one final  
glare, Zircon left the dank, dark dungeon.  
  
After which he breathed a huge sigh of relief. It was certainly getting easier being in  
that accursed place for more than a few seconds, but it still wreaked havoc on his nerves. At  
least the crowd in the square parted for him.  
  
That accursed miscreant! How dare he act smart with him? Hopefully, Thimis and Loren would  
be able to break him. There was only so many times a soul could stand their rendition of a two  
man 'I Want to be Your Canary' complete with chipmunk voices.  
  
*What I wouldn't give for this entire affair to be over with so I could take ten minutes  
of rest!* he thought forlornly as he walked back to the castle. And then something ran into him.  
  
"Mikhail! What is the meaning of this!?" yelled Zircon as the hapless knight stumbled  
backwards. "Answer me!"  
  
"C-captain!" stuttered Mikhail, struggling to regain his composure. "It's the Queen! The  
Queen's..." But Zircon had already left. 


	2. Default Chapter Title

Notes: Garnet, Zidane, Alexandria, and all other characters and locations originally mentioned  
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.  
Questions, comments, and constructive critisicm are more than welcome.  
  
A Fine Mess - Chapter 2  
by Makou  
  
  
"Is it poison?" asked Zircon of the doctor.  
  
"I'm not entirely sure; I still haven't finished the diagnosis. For all we know, it could  
just be her age catching up with her," said the doctor, rubbing his hands nervously.  
  
"I highly doubt that. My mother could not be in finer health up till now." Zircon eyed the  
doctor as if he were a potential suspect, which he was. At least, according to Zircon, he was.  
"Will she recover soon?"  
  
"If by recover you mean regain conciousness, yes. An hour is my estimate. A full recovery  
could take some time, though."  
  
"How long?" Zircon's glare could cut through a rock.  
  
"Factoring in her age and the apparent seriousness of her illness, I would guess a month  
at the very least." The doctor was still rubbing his hands and looking to Zircon as if the  
Prince were about to eat him. Once in awhile, his glasses would slip down to the end of his nose  
and he would cease the rubbing of the hands for long enough to put the glasses back in their  
proper position.  
  
While Zircon was interrogating the doctor, King Zidane was at his wife's side. Fifty years  
had changed him considerably, at least in regards to physical appearance: his formerly blonde  
hair had turned a snowy white along with his tail, and a neatly groomed moustache had appeared  
in the usual place for moustaches. He wore a navy blue suit, which was the fanciest clothing  
that Garnet managed to get him into after all these years. When he walked, it was apparent that  
he walked with a slight limp in his left leg; that was due to an accident that occured when he  
was twenty-five.  
  
"Will she be able to see the play?" queried Zidane, looking up at the doctor.  
  
"I highly doubt that," said the doctor, adjusting his glasses for the umpteenth time. "I'd  
be suprised if she'd manage to get out of bed."  
  
"What if somebody carried her? She'd be able to sit up, right?"  
  
"Yes, maybe, but..."  
  
"Father, what mother needs right now is rest! It won't do her any good shuttling her  
everywhere in the castle and back again!" said Zircon angrily.  
  
"I didn't say we should shuttle her everywhere. I just want her to be able to see the  
play," said Zidane calmly.  
  
"Father...!"  
  
"Zircon," began Zidane as he looked up at his son. "Do you have any idea what this play  
means to your mother?"  
  
"But her health..."  
  
"What was it, fifty-two years ago when we first met? I was in Tantalus back then, you  
know. Can you guess what play we were performing that night? And a year later, when Dagger and I  
were reunited, do you know what play was being performed?"  
  
For once, Zircon looked smaller than his father. "I am sorry, father."  
  
"Oh, lighten up, will you?" said Zidane, cracking a smile. "You sound like ol' Rusty, for  
crying out loud!" Seeing Zircon's less than amused expression, he added, "Look, I know you're  
worried about your mother. So am I. But holing her up in this room is just going to make her  
unhappy, got it?"  
  
Zidane got up from his bedside chair and hobbled over to his son. He reached up, patted  
him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry about it. Your mother's going to be fine. Now, why  
don't you go talk to that knight over there that looks like he's going to die of fright?"  
  
Zircon turned his head to see Mikhail clutching a sheet of parchment. "Captain, Thimis and  
Loren have successfully extracted the needed information from the criminal Nickel Gerard. Here's  
the report, captain sir." He thrust his hand out and gave Zircon the parchment. "If you need me,  
I'll be by the moat," he said before he ran off.  
  
"Criminal?" said Zidane, raising an eyebrow. "Do tell."  
  
"You are more than welcome to read the report after I am finished." said Zircon.  
  
  
July 18, 496 A.C.  
  
Nickel Gerard, a Red Mage from the city of Yudora, began randomly  
attacking commoners in Alexandria Square at around two o'clock  
this afternoon. I, Thimis Jekarta, and Loren Farison were on hand  
to apprehend Nickel Gerard, after which we imprisoned him in the  
dungeon as per Captain Zircon's orders. We were then commanded to  
interrogate him and at around halfway through our two man version  
of 'I Want to be Your Canary' (with chipmunk voices), Nickel  
finally broke down and told us why he did what he did.  
  
Nickel Gerard is part of the Juuroku independence movement in  
Yudora. When questioned further, Nickel revealed that he, along  
with several others of his number, was merely creating a  
distraction while someone else was to sneak into the castle to do  
an unknown nefarious deed. In my personal opinion, however, if  
Nickel is a standard representation of all Juuroku members, then  
the trespasser is too thick to find his own backside without  
directions.  
  
- Thimis Jekarta, Knight of Pluto  
  
  
"That must be it!" cried Zircon. "Someone must have sneaked into the castle and poisoned  
mother! It makes perfect sense!"  
  
"Woah, slow down there!" Zidane snatched the parchment out of Zircon's hand and scanned it  
over. "It looks like you're right," he said after a few moments. "Get your men to go ask Nickel  
what type of poison was used, got it?"  
  
"Yes, father. But there is just one thing I wish to ask before I take my leave..."  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
"Where is Amethyst? Shouldn't she be here? Surely she has been told what has happened!"  
  
"Amethyst has a few things she has to take care of," said Zidane. "Don't worry, your  
little sister will be up here soon."  
  
"Right..." He started out the door, but then paused. "And have Finn and Cadrin arrived  
yet?" he asked, referring to his wife and son.  
  
"Not yet. They should be here soon, though, shouldn't they?"  
  
"Right. Be sure to send someone down to tell me if they should arrive." He left the room,  
presumably to go down to the dungeon.  
  
Zidane looked to the doctor and said, "Well? Aren't you supposed to doing something,  
too?" The doctor immediately scrambled back to the Queen and continued checking her over.  
  
  
"The Rosary flower?" said Zircon after Thimis emerged from the dungeon and reported the  
information requested.  
  
"Yes, captain. Have you heard of it?" Thimis asked. A city boy like him in all probability  
did not know a great deal about the flora of the world beyond what appeared on his dinner plate.  
  
"I have heard of it before, but I do not know the details..." Zircon said.  
  
"Er... Should I go get one those researcher guys in the library to look it up?" suggested  
Thimis. "One of them should know, shouldn't they?"  
  
"Excellent idea, Thimis. Report to me once you've found the appopriate information. Also,"  
he added. "If you see Princess Amethyst, tell her to go to Queen Garnet's room immediately."  
  
"Yes, captain!" Thimis saluted to Zircon and ran off towards the library.  
  
Once again, Zircon found himself leaning against the wall of the dungeon. It was his fault  
his mother was poisoned, he knew. If he wasn't so worried about that bloody Red Mage, no one  
would have the opportunity to poison his mother. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he  
always found that his efforts were aimed in an entirely wrong direction...  
  
Finn and Cadrin were certainly taking awhile, no matter what his father said. Did  
something happen to them too? *No, that is just paranoia speaking,* thought Zircon. *They might  
have left late or they might have had engine troubles. Or the weather could be particularly  
troublesome around Treno.*  
  
*Besides,* he thought bitterly. *Those criminals already managed to harm my mother. What  
else would they want to do, short of putting the city to torch?* 


	3. Default Chapter Title

Notes: Garnet, Zidane, Alexandria, and all other characters and locations originally mentioned  
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.  
Questions, comments, and constructive critisicm are more than welcome.  
  
A Fine Mess - Chapter 3  
by Makou  
  
  
"Mother, will we get to Alexandria soon?" asked young Cadrin of his mother. He grasped the  
railing of the airship Ananova and looked down to the landscape below, which sported many a  
tree, river, and mountain. Cadrin could even see a small village in the distance. "I want to see  
father again."  
  
"Be patient, Cadrin. We have an hour to go," said his mother Finnevere, looking rather  
stern under her fancy broad-rimmed hat. Her red-brown hair was held tightly in a bun and she had  
stern dark red eyes. She wore a light green dress with white ruffles and a humongus skirt and a  
small umbrella was clutched in her slender, white gloved hands.  
  
"I'll go take another look around, then," Cadrin said, turning away from the railing. "Is  
that alright with you, mother?"  
  
"Go ahead. Mind you don't bother any of the other passengers, though."  
  
"Yes, mother," he said before walking away.  
  
Cadrin was eleven years old, although he was turning twelve next month. In stark contrast  
to his father, he was short for his age and rather on the skinny side. He had his mother's  
reddish-brown hair and his father's brown eyes which, suprisingly enough, did not look as if he  
were dreading the worst. He was dressed in a very expensive looking gold-trimmed, navy blue  
overcoat and matching pants, plus a pair of fine black dress shoes. He also had the traditional  
family tail, which waved in the air constantly and had inadvertantly caused many an accident  
concerning breakable objects in high places.  
  
As Cadrin walked towards the bow of the ship, he could hear an elderly woman lecturing  
someone. When he could finally see the woman, he saw that it was an equally elderly man she was  
giving an earful to. *They're probably a married couple,* Cadrin thought. *I'd best not disturb  
them.* He turned away back towards his mother, but before he could take another step, he heard a  
very interesting snippet of their conversation.  
  
"Stop blubbering, Adelbert! The boy's not going to hate you forever for accidently  
elbowing you!" the woman said, sounding awfully like Cadrin's mother.  
  
"But... But... How will I be able to face her Majesty having been so rude to her  
grandson?" Cadrin saw that the man looked very distraught and was waving his arms about in a  
very dramatic and exaggerated fashion. He also realized, after a moment's reflection, that the  
man was refering to him. But how did this man know who he was?  
  
"The boy in all likelyhood has already forgotten about it, so forget about it already,  
will you?"  
  
"But, but, but!"  
  
"Adelbert!" The woman glared at the distressed old man. Slowly but surely, the man stopped  
the waving of the arms and merely looked like a kicked puppy. "Look, if it makes you feel better  
why don't you go apologize to him?"  
  
"But how could I face him...?"  
  
"Oh, don't start that again!" snapped the old woman. "Now go find that boy, apologize to  
him, and stay calm for the rest of the trip!"  
  
"Yes, Beatrix," the man said in a hen-pecked tone of voice.  
  
The woman turned her head in Cadrin's direction and Cadrin could see a smirk cross her  
face. "Thankfully, the 'young prince' has already found you. What good manners to seek you out  
just when you needed to speak with him!"  
  
"P-P-Prince Cadrin!" the man known as Adelbert stuttered, mustering up the best bow that  
he could with his back. "I-I-I-I..." Beatrix rolled her eye; now that she was faced towards him,  
Cadrin could see that one of her eyes was covered with an eyepatch. He wondered idly what had  
happened to it.  
  
"Excuse me, but how do you know me?" Cadrin queried politely.  
  
"The prince doesn't remember me!" Adelbert bawled.  
  
"Adelbert," said Beatrix wearily. "The last time he saw you was when he was three years  
old. I doubt he would remember you."  
  
"You wouldn't know my grandmother, would you?" asked Cadrin.  
  
"Know her!" Adelbert looked positively stricken. "Beatrix and I were only the commanders  
of the Alexandrian Army and the Pluto Knights respectively! I should hope that we would know  
her!"  
  
Cadrin tried to think. Adelbert and Beatrix? Where had he heard these names? Could  
Adelbert possibly mean...  
  
"Would your family name happen to be Steiner?" he asked. It was as good a guess as any.  
  
"He remembers!" cheered Adelbert. "Did you hear that, Beatrix? He actually remembers!"  
  
"Adelbert, what did I tell you about jumping to conclusions?" said Beatrix in the same  
weary voice.  
  
"That I shouldn't," said Adelbert dejectedly.  
  
Beatrix mumbled something, which Cadrin strained to hear. It sounded suspiciously like,  
"Over fifty years I've known him and he's still doing it..." Out loud, she said, "Ahem.  
Adelbert, wasn't there something you were planning on doing?"  
  
A look of horror passed Adelbert's face as he remembered why he was so worried in the  
first place. Running up to Cadrin, he gave another impressive bow. "Please forgive me for my  
incredible rudeness earlier! I did not mean to elbow you and I wanted to apologize to you as  
soon as it happened, but you had already gone before I had opened my mouth! Please, please  
forgive me!"  
  
"Oh, it's quite alright," said Cadrin. "I don't even remember what happened." Truth was,  
he did and it had hurt, but he didn't want Adelbert getting ever more hysterical.  
  
"Thank you, Prince Cadrin! You are truly as virtuous and kind as your esteemed  
grandmother!" He was still bowing.  
  
"There, you see?" said Beatrix matter-of-factly. "You didn't have anything to worry about  
at all. Now will you calm down?"  
  
Then they all heard a crash from inside the airship. Adelbert stood bolt upright, Cadrin  
jumped, and Beatrix merely looked in the general direction of the crash.  
  
"What was that?" said Cadrin.  
  
"Terrorists!" cried Adelbert. Beatrix said nothing.  
  
Then they all heard a voice from within...  
  
"Toby, Jacky, Aki, everyone, calm down!" cried the voice. The trio outside could also hear  
several younger sounding voices screaming and making a ruckus. Then the door burst open.  
  
"That voice!" said Adelbert in amazement. "It couldn't possibly be..."  
  
A green-robed Black Mage was knocked outside, followed by several tiny Black Mages in  
a multitude of coloured robes.  
  
"Calm down, everyone! Get back indoors! Please?" said the Black Mage. "I'll get you all  
plush chocobos in Alexandia if you settle down!" The children continued rough-housing. "Please?"  
  
"Excuse me, sir!" said Adelbert to the Black Mage.  
  
"Yes? Could you hold on for a moment? I'm kind of busy..." the Black Mage said just before  
his leather steepled hat was knocked off of his head. "Apologize for that, Benny!"  
  
"May I just ask you for your name? Full name, that is."  
  
"Kory Ornitier. Demi! Hoshi! Stop fighting this instant!" He pulled apart two of the  
little Black Mages to prevent them from ripping each other apart.  
  
Adelbert merely stood there dumbfounded. Cadrin wondered why. 


	4. Default Chapter Title

Notes: Garnet, Zidane, Alexandria, and all other characters and locations originally mentioned  
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.  
Questions, comments, and constructive critisicm are more than welcome.  
  
A Fine Mess - Chapter 4  
by Makou  
  
  
"Are we all settled down now? Good," said Kory a number of minutes later when he had  
finally managed to get the dozen miniature Black Mages in line. "Now," he continued, facing  
old man Adelbert. "I guess we can talk now, can't we?"  
  
"C-certainly!" stuttered Adelbert. "Would you by any chance happen to be related to one  
Vivi Ornitier?"  
  
"He's my grandpa," replied Kory. "Do you know him?"  
  
"Master Vivi is still alive? Why, this is wonderful news!" cheered Adelbert, almost  
leaping into the air in his excitement. "How does he fare? Is he on this airship? Or has he  
already arrived in Alexandria?"  
  
"Uh, well," said Kory, scratching the back of his head. "There was a little mix-up with  
the airship tickets, so he got to Alexandria yesterday. Do you want to see him? Who are you,  
anyway?"  
  
"My name is Adelbert Steiner, Master Kory!" Adelbert bowed for the umpteenth time. "Your  
grandfather and I assisted their Majesties Queen Garnet and King Zidane in a quest of great  
import fifty-two years ago. But you must tell me," he said, rising again to his feet. "How on  
Earth did Master Vivi manage survive all this while?"  
  
"Well, Grandpa found out how to jump bodies a long time ago... So he could have time to  
figure out how to get everyone to live longer, you know? So whenever another Black Mage stops,  
he just transfers his soul from his body to the stopped Black Mage's. Does that answer your  
question?" said Kory.  
  
"Excuse me, sir," said Cadrin. "But can't the other Black Mages... jump?" He found this  
all awfully confusing.  
  
"Well, no..." answered Kory. "His magic's more powerful than of ours, you see. But he's  
doing a great job with his work! I turned seventeen this year; fifty years ago, that would've  
been unheard of!"  
  
"Marvellous!" cried Adelbert. He looked as if he might burst into tears of joy at any  
moment.  
  
"How are the Genomes doing?" queried Beatrix, who had been silent in the conversation up  
until now.  
  
"They're still there," said Kory. "A month before we left, my brother Rory got married to  
a Genome girl named Nanami. They were on their honeymoon, but we're meeting up with them in  
Alexandria."  
  
"There have been... marriages between the Black Mages and the Genomes?" asked Adelbert in  
amazement.  
  
"Of course. Shouldn't there be?" He then noticed something very curious waving around  
behind Cadrin. "Hey! Is that a tail?"  
  
"Yes..." said Cadrin.  
  
"So you're a Genome, aren't you?" asked Kory.  
  
"I believe my grandfather told me once that he was one..."  
  
"Ah! So you're a quarter-Genome! That explains the tail!"  
  
One of the little Black Mages tugged on Kory's coat. "Daddy, are you done? I'm bored."  
  
"Just a minute, Lily," replied Kory. "I'm almost done. Then you can go play inside with  
your brothers and sisters."  
  
"Why can't we go play right now or out here?"  
  
Kory looked horrified at the mere suggestion of that. "I don't want any of you to get  
killed! You're waiting until I'm finished and that's final!" A chorus of 'Awwws' followed  
shortly thereafter.  
  
"Oh, really! Do I need to remind you all what happened last time I left you all to play by  
yourselves?" said Kory, a trifle testily. "You're just going to have to be a little patient."  
  
  
  
Needless to say, Kory chatted with Adelbert and Beatrix for the rest of the trip. He  
might have done so with Cadrin too had his mother had not come and pull him away, accusing him  
of harassing the other passengers despite their fervent protests to that statement. Adelbert,  
despite that, bowed to her as well seeing as she was the esteemed daughter-in-law of Queen  
Garnet.  
  
But before Cadrin knew it, the Ananova was preparing for landing in Alexandria. The first  
thing he saw once he disembarked the vessel was his father, looking as if a meteor just  
destroyed the guard house.  
  
"Cadrin!" his father yelled as he ran up to greet him.  
  
"Father?" said Cadrin curiously. His father was acting high-strung... That is, more high-  
strung than usual. "Is... something the matter?"  
  
"Prince Zircon!" Adelbert had disembarked and had come running up as fast as his old legs  
would let him to Cadrin's father. Beatrix, on the other hand, had decided to walk more sedately  
towards the son of her Queen.  
  
"Steiner? It's been awhile, has it not?" said Zircon politely. Then he turned his head  
downwards and said to his son, "Where is your mother, Cadrin? Why hasn't she come out yet?"  
  
"Father, she's..." Cadrin began.  
  
"She's what? She's what!?"  
  
"She's right behind you," said Cadrin, pointing over his father's shoulder.  
  
Indeed, Finnevere was standing there, her arms crossed and the fingers of her right hand  
tapping on her left arm. "I'm certainly glad you were paying attention, Zircon. Now would you be  
so kind as to tell us what happened here? You never get so inattentive unless something bad has  
happened."  
  
"Inattentive!" gasped Zircon in horror.  
  
"That's exactly what I said," said Finnevere. "You get so wrapped up in events that you  
completely fail to notice what's happening under your own nose!"  
  
Cadrin sighed. This sounded familiar...  
  
"Finn, there is no need for this right now!"  
  
"Really? I can't think of a better time!"  
  
"Could you let me tell you what happened, at least?" Finnevere nodded to give her  
permission. "Mother has been poisoned," Zircon said quietly. "According to the last report I  
received, she is still unconcious... Although the doctor still believes she will awaken soon."  
  
"Poisoned!" said Beatrix in amazement. "Are you sure?" Adelbert had already fainted.  
  
"Yes, I'm certain."  
  
"But grandmother's going to be alright, isn't she?" asked Cadrin.  
  
"As the doctor said, she should regain consciousness soon, but a full recovery could take  
some time."  
  
"I don't understand! Who would want to poison your mother?" asked Finnevere. "You know  
something, don't you?" she accused.  
  
"I do," said Zircon stiffly, turning away. "But I can't tell you. I don't want you to  
become a liability. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a job to do." He walked back into the  
castle.  
  
"Oh, that man!" said Finnevere in indignation. "Simply running off like that!"  
  
"He's just worried about you both," said Beatrix. "Now come along, we'll go see Zidane  
before we go find our rooms." She kicked Adelbert lightly in the side. "Come on, get up. We're  
leaving."  
  
"Y-yes, dear..." Adelbert said, still obviously shaken.  
  
*Doubtless, he'll start acting as if this is all his fault,* thought Beatrix. *He's  
hopeless. Completely and utterly hopeless.*  
  
  
"So you were successful?"  
  
"Yes, sir. The Queen should be sleeping peacefully by now."  
  
"Excellent. What of Nickel? He was captured, was he not?"  
  
"Yes, but that doesn't really matter does it? He's not exactly what you'd call  
competent..."  
  
"That is true, but we must look after those of our number. Have someone release him from  
the dungeon."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"And after Nickel is brought back to safety, proceed to stage two of our plan. But make  
sure Nickel is not involved in that operation, understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
The owner of the second voice brushed his hand across the plain black box he was carrying  
as he walked away... 


	5. Default Chapter Title

Notes: Garnet, Zidane, Alexandria, and all other characters and locations originally mentioned  
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.  
Questions, comments, and constructive critisicm are more than welcome.  
  
A Fine Mess - Chapter 5  
by Makou  
  
  
Quimi and Quemi stood out in a crowd, to say the least. Qu clan members were rare enough  
in the city of Alexandria, let alone two of them together. Especially two of them carrying a  
sedan chair with two plump arms sticking out on either side.  
  
Their appearance was also striking. Quimi was skinny and bore an incredible resemblance to  
a beanpole. She wore a light yellow coat with a white apron tied around her waist and tight  
white pants underneath, plus a light purple sombrero perched on her head. Quemi, on the other  
hand, was as plump as could be. He had opted to wear a dark green button-up coat with a red  
shirt underneath and a pair baggy purple pants. On his head was a traditional white chef's hat.  
He looked horribly heavy and was probably the largest person in the city at that time.  
  
With the exception of the pair's master, of course. It was his/her arms that were sticking  
out of the sedan chair.  
  
Quimi was in front and was clearly struggling with the extreme weight she was forced to  
carry, but Quemi, bringing up the rear, easily held up his end high into the air. This made for  
an extremely lop-sided ride for their master and Quimi had pointed this out, but Quemi continued  
to hold his end as high as possible.  
  
"Quemi! What you doing!? You hold chair too high!" said Quimi angrily, her end drooping  
even lower.  
  
"I sorry!" said Quemi, but he completely forgot to rectify his mistake.  
  
"No fight you two!" rumbled a voice from within the sedan chair. "Good food always spoiled  
by bad tempers!"  
  
"I take your words to heart, Master Quina!" said Quemi. Quimi merely sighed and shifted  
the weight of the chair to prevent lasting damage to her back.  
  
"What wrong, Quimi? You sound unhappy. Are you hungry?" asked Master Quina. "Is plenty  
food at castle. We hurry!"  
  
Quimi sighed again. She never wanted to be a Gourmand! All she wanted to do was run a  
business, it didn't matter what kind! *But mom and dad want me be like stupid Quemi. I too smart  
to be like him.*  
  
What she really wanted to do was to take her small savings and set up that business  
somewhere in this city. Or maybe in Lindblum. But if she did that... How would Quemi ever get  
Master Quina back to the Qu Marsh?  
  
Her train of thought was interrupted by a misplaced rock which sent her flying. Thus, the  
sedan chair fell to the ground and Quina and Quemi along with it.  
  
"Owwww!" cried Quemi, clutching his face as he scrambled back up. "Face hurt! Face hurt!"  
  
"Quimi! Quemi! Help me up!" Quina yelled, flailing his/her arms.  
  
Quimi grumbled and lifted her head up from ground. It was going to be a long trip back to  
the Qu Marsh...  
  
  
*Where am I...?*  
  
It was daylight, that much she knew. And soft sheets surrounded her. That must mean that  
she was in her bedroom... But how did she end up here? Last she knew, she was drinking her tea  
in her parlour.  
  
"So there you are, Amethyst," said a voice. Zidane?  
  
"I apologize for my late arrival, father," said Amethyst. "Where is Zircon? Was he not  
supposed to be here?"  
  
"He was, but something came up. He'll come back as soon as he can."  
  
She opened her eyes slowly, but it was a few moments before she could actually see  
anything as they were so blurry. But when she did, she could see her husband Zidane and her  
daughter Amethyst standing by her bed.  
  
"Hey," said Zidane, grinning. "Sleeping Beauty's finally woken up!" He knelt down to  
Garnet's level. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Absolutely horrid," said Garnet without any hesitation. She had a headache, her chest was  
in pain, she felt as if she were about to vomit, her legs felt numb, among other things...  
  
"At least you're awake. That's a step up. Besides, the doctor's whipping up some kind of  
potion to make you feel better."  
  
"Can you tell me what happened?"  
  
"Somebody poisoned your tea," answered Zidane. "Zircon's working on finding the guy who  
did it, so don't worry about that."  
  
The doctor tapped Zidane on the shoulder. Garnet could just see a vial of violet liquid  
resting in his hand. "Your Highness, the potion is ready. Shall I administer it to her?"  
  
"Go right ahead. Don't let me stop you." Zidane moved aside to let the doctor through.  
  
"Your Highness," said the doctor to Garnet. "It will be difficult for you, but try not to  
force the potion up once you have drunk it." Before she could say anything, however, the doctor  
had already poured it down her throat.  
  
It tasted so... dreadful! She couldn't remember tasting something so rancid as this. She  
felt very tempted to ignore the doctor's words... But as soon it began, it ended, leaving Garnet  
in a coughing fit.  
  
"Hey, are you alright?" said Zidane, pushing the doctor away.  
  
"I'm *cough* fine," wheezed Garnet.  
  
"Um, King Zidane, I need to speak with you alone for a moment..." said the doctor,  
adjusting his glasses.  
  
"Can't it wait?" asked Zidane.  
  
"Unfortunately, it can't." It was obvious that the doctor was itching to do some serious  
hand rubbing, but he was foiled by the empty vial. He settled for adjusting his glasses again,  
and again, and again...  
  
"I'll be back in a moment," Zidane said to his wife as he walked away.  
  
"Go on ahead, father. I shall keep mother company," said Amethyst.  
  
"That's my girl," was the last thing he said before he left the room with the doctor.  
  
"What is it?" asked Zidane of the doctor once they were out in the hallway.  
  
"The plant that was used to poison the Queen, the Rosary flower..." the doctor began.  
  
"Yeah? What about it?"  
  
"The symptoms the Queen is feeling now are only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak." Up  
and down the glasses went. "The potion I gave her should take care of the physical effects, but  
after a week or so, the Rosary flower will start to effect her mind. If left untreated, she  
could become a raving lunatic within a month."  
  
Zidane looked like someone had punched him. "Then treat her, damnit!" he yelled in anger.  
"Don't just stand there wiggling your damned glasses!"  
  
"It's not that simple," the doctor continued, after having jumped back a considerable  
distance. "I don't have all the proper ingredients to make the correct potion."  
  
"Then I'll go find them!" said Zidane. "It's better than staying here doing nothing!"  
  
"Grandfather Zidane?" said a tiny voice behind him. He turned around.  
  
Cadrin was standing there, his mother squeezing his shoulder and Beatrix trying in vain to  
get Steiner to calm down. Zidane couldn't believe he hadn't noticed them.  
  
"Why are you talking about potions?" the boy asked. 


	6. Default Chapter Title

Notes: Garnet, Zidane, Alexandria, and all other characters and locations originally mentioned  
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.  
Questions, comments, and constructive critisicm are more than welcome. On another note, I  
apologize for the delay in posting and for the short length of this chapter; it's been a chaotic  
week.  
  
A Fine Mess - Chapter 6  
by Makou  
  
  
In the silence that followed Cadrin's inconvenient question, Amethyst had stepped out into  
the hallway looking on top of things as per usual. If she had heard what the doctor said, it  
would be almost impossible to tell; unlike Zircon, whose emotions, predictable as they were,  
were written plainly across his face for all to see, she always appeared calm and composed, no  
matter what she was feeling. More than a few castle employees found this slightly creepy.  
  
Her blue eyes stared at the assembled group. Their collective eyes stared back.  
  
Then Cadrin said, "Hello, Aunt Amethyst."  
  
Unfortunately, everyone took this as a cue to start either talking or yelling to each  
other. Eventually, they settled down enough so that one person could actually yell loud enough  
over the ruckus that everyone could hear her.  
  
"Quiet, everyone!" yelled Beatrix. They complied. Beatrix, even at her age, was still  
quite formidable; if not with a sword, then with her tongue.  
  
"So why are you talking about potions?" continued Beatrix in a suspicous tone as she eyed  
Zidane. "Has the situation gotten worse?"  
  
Zidane glanced at Cadrin. Should he tell his grandson about this? *Well, he is ten...  
There's point sheltering him now, is there? Baku told me worse things when I was half his age.*  
  
"It's bad," said Zidane. "Whatever the doctor just gave her is just going to help stop the  
actual pain."  
  
"What do you mean, grandfather? What else is going happening to grandmother?" asked  
Cadrin.  
  
"Nothing's going to happen to her, if I can help it." He turned to the doctor. "All we  
have to do is get the right ingredients, right?" The doctor nodded. "See? She's going to be  
alright!"  
  
"Then why are you so worried?" asked Beatrix.  
  
"I don't know who I'm going to send," Zidane admitted. "I want to go, of course, but I  
doubt anyone would let me. And with me getting up there in years, I can't go sneaking out like I  
used to." He looked to be very depressed over that last fact.  
  
"Can't you simply send one of the soldiers down to town to find the ingredients? Someone  
is bound to have some lying around."  
  
The doctor stepped in at this point. "It happens that the items that we need are only  
available in town through special order at the area botany shops. By the time the items arrived,  
it would be far too late to do anything for the Queen." Another glasses adjustment followed his  
announcement.  
  
"Then send some soldiers to look for it town anyways and have another group look for the  
ingredients."  
  
"Hey, I like that idea!" said Zidane. "That way we'll cover more ground! And hey," he  
continued, looking to the doctor. "You never know; someone around here just might have the stuff  
we need!"  
  
"I'll have Siria send some soldiers out immediately," said Amethyst.  
  
"Yeah, do that, but just for the town. I'm still thinking about who to send on a world  
tour."  
  
"Certainly, father." Amethyst walked away in search of General Siria.  
  
"Any suggestions, folks?" he asked those in his vicinity. "I'm open to them."  
  
"You can forget about sending Zircon, if that's what you were thinking," snapped  
Finnevere. "I haven't seen him for weeks and neither has his son, so send someone else."  
  
"I wasn't thinking about that! He has to stay in town to deal with security!" said Zidane,  
being a trifle dishonest. Truth was, he was considering Zircon, but judging by his daughter-in-  
law's reaction at the mere thought of it...  
  
"Anyways, whoever I send is going plain clothes. Country folk don't really like it when  
soldiers come snooping around. And I want it to be somebody I know and trust." He turned to the  
doctor. "Exactly what herbs do we need, anyway?"  
  
"Thornwood, Dephilia Weed, Matoya's Bane, and Goriate Rose," said the doctor. "All of  
which are indigineous to the Outer Continent."  
  
"What we need... What we need... is a Black Mage." A bell tolled in the distance and he  
added, "But I'll think of someone in a bit. I've got to get Dagger to the play."  
  
  
"If you don't settle down right now, we're going straight back to the inn!" Parenthood was  
getting on Kory's nerves. During this entire ordeal, all of his twelve children had taken it  
upon themselves to be as hyper as humanly possible. It was enough to drive one mad.  
  
Much to his relief, the children actually did quiet down a tad after he uttered his  
threat. "Alright then. Roll call, everyone! Aki?"  
  
"Here."  
  
"Benny?"  
  
"Here."  
  
"Danny?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Demi?"  
  
"Here!"  
  
"Emmy? Hoshi? Jacky? Lily?" The four responded with their own variations on 'here'.  
  
"Mary? Mikey?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm here."  
  
"Sammy? Toby?" A pause. "Where's Toby?"  
  
"H-here!" The twelfth of the twelve came running up from behind the corner, attempted to  
skid to a halt, and crashed straight into Demi.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"S-sorry..."  
  
"Toby, where were you?" said Kory, worried sick over the thought that one of his family  
could become so easily seperated from him.  
  
"I-I-I saw someone selling action figures across the street back there and I turned to get  
a closer look, but when I turned back around, you were all gone!" The child burst into tears.  
  
"Hey, it's okay now! We're all here, we haven't left you alone..." Kory patted Toby on the  
shoulder. "Stop crying now, okay?"  
  
"O-okay..." The waterworks turned into an occasional drip.  
  
"That's better," said Kory, smiling in relief even though no one could possibly see it.  
"Now come on, everyone! We've got the get to the ticket booth!" Taking Toby by the hand so that  
he wouldn't get lost again, Kory continued to lead the clan through the busy streets of  
Alexandria. A bell tolled at that time.  
  
"Oh no! We're late!"  
  
  
"Preparations are complete, sir. Just give the order."  
  
"Wait until the climax before setting it off. Dramatic effect does have its use."  
  
"As you wish, sir."  
  
"Has Nickel been released?"  
  
"Yes, sir. He has been escorted to the city limits."  
  
"Excellent. All you have to do now is wait until I give you the order."  
  
"That I will, sir." 


	7. Default Chapter Title

Notes: Garnet, Zidane, Alexandria, and all other characters and locations originally mentioned  
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.  
Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are more than welcome. (And by constructive  
criticism, I mean criticism that actually helps me improve my writing.) Sorry for the huge delay  
this time around. Blame Trumpy.  
  
A Fine Mess - Chapter 7  
by Makou  
  
  
Cheers resounded through the afternoon sky as the double doors burst open, revealing the  
royal family. Queen Garnet smiled, leaning heavily on her husband's shoulder as she and the rest  
of her family took their proper places. Those who could clearly see her wondered why she looked  
so weak, but the majority of them dismissed the possibility of a serious illness; why would she  
be out to see the play if that was so?  
  
Amethyst's cold blue eyes scanned her surroundings. If one were to ask her and if she was  
honest, Amethyst would have admitted that watching the performance was the last thing she wanted  
to do at the moment. Her research was far more important, but as she was the heir to the throne,  
she really had no choice but to be here.  
  
Amethyst was often told by those considerably older than her how much she looked like  
Queen Garnet when she was younger, the only difference in colouration being that she had blonde  
hair instead of black. On the other hand, her face was much colder than her mother's ever was.  
Like her father and brother, she had a furry brown tail, but this wasn't a well known fact as  
it was always hidden beneath her dress. She was also clothed entirely in forest green, as it was  
her favourite colour. Many would be suprised to learn that she had a favourite colour.  
  
Zircon was standing stiffly at attention beside General Siria, his wife and son standing  
more towards the royal couple than himself. It was too obvious to Amethyst that he wasn't all  
that eager to be here either; doubtless he was worried sick over security. And with good cause,  
Amethyst had to admit, what with their mother's poisoning and all. Perhaps his fears would be  
realized. Or perhaps not; it was difficult to tell.  
  
A middle-aged man with a rough face stepped out onto the stage below, wearing extravagent  
robes and a rather ridiculous powdered wig. He bowed low to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen,  
and especially the esteemed Alexandrian royal family..."  
  
Keeping her eyes focused on the going-ons on the stage, Amethyst let her thoughts take  
over. *As soon as this is over, I will have to read that book over again. I must have missed  
some vital information somewhere along the way...*  
  
And so the play continued. The audience cheered, laughed, gasped, and cried at the  
appropriate moments and Garnet and Zidane were looking very nostalgic indeed.  
  
Down below, Kory and his brood were enjoying the show alongside his grandfather, brother,  
and sister-in-law. The children were all bouncing up and down in their seats, clearly having the  
time of their lives. Once and awhile, Kory would have to remind them not to get too out of  
control as he was worried that the other audience members surrounding his group would not be  
able to hear what was going on.  
  
Quina and his/her students had a wide berth. Well, at least Quina and Quemi did; Quimi was  
squashed in between a hapless hippoman and Quina. She looked quite disgruntled at having her  
brush with high culture ruined in such a manner.  
  
Right near the front of the stage were Adelbert and Beatrix. Beatrix was trying her  
hardest to enjoy the show, but her valiant efforts were foiled somewhat by Adelbert constantly  
turning around in his seat to see how the Queen was faring.  
  
Elsewhere in the audience, other familiar sights could be seen, such as an elderly  
Burmecian woman and what must have been her daughter in the traditional uniform of the Dragoons.  
On top of the rooftops, a man of the Salamander race with a mass of red dreadlocks streaked with  
white and a goatee leaned against a chimney with his arms crossed over his chest.  
  
"Now is my moment of vengeance! For my parents, and for my love, Cornelia... I shall cut  
thee down!"  
  
*Now is the moment for the most cliched scene in the entire play... I can't imagine my  
mother and father enjoying this particular play for any other reason other than sentimental  
value,* Amethyst thought grimly.  
  
Marcus lunged at King Leo with his toy sword...  
  
... A fairly non-descript man in the middle of the audience opened an equally non-descript  
black box...  
  
Queen Garnet put a hand to her mouth in shock and tugged on Zidane's coat. Elsewhere,  
the various playgoers had begun to notice what was happening and looked to the man with the  
black box in astonishment.  
  
"W-what is that, daddy?" cried Toby, staying back while his various siblings shoved each  
other away for a better look. Kory, in turn, looked to his grandfather for a possible  
explanation.  
  
"N-no...!" said Vivi.  
  
"The Mist..." whispered Garnet.  
  
Like magic, an open space began forming around the non-descript man and the ever-expanding  
mist as those seated near him abandoned their seats in panic. Similar scenes were now happening  
elsewhere in the audience as others of the man's number opened their own black boxes to much the  
same effect.  
  
It was then the monsters appeared.  
  
They were twisted, deformed creatures. To Zidane they bore no small resemblance to the  
first Black Waltz he faced in his younger days, only considerably more lizard-like. Unlike the  
Black Mages, their skin was clearly covered with black scales and their eyes were a gruesome  
dark shade of red. But their likeness to the Black Mages was enough frighten the playgoers even  
more than just mere monsters would.  
  
The soldiers, after their initial confusion, immediately set about dispatching the  
monsters before there were any serious casualties. Their work was cut out for them, though;  
civilians, in their rush to shove their way to safety, nearly trampled each other and those who  
were trying to save them.  
  
The situation would have been lost for certain if it weren't for the select few of the  
playgoers who hadn't ran screaming bloody murder.  
  
While Kory was hurriedly carting away his children with the assistance of Nanami, Rory and  
Vivi stayed behind, launching a few well-placed fire-type spells at the monsters as often as  
they were able.  
  
"What *are* those things, grandfather?" yelled Rory, who was quite amazed as to what was  
happening and a bit indignant on having his nice vacation ruined in such a manner.  
  
"M-mist monsters!" Vivi yelled right back. He clocked a monster over the head with his  
rod. It fell to the ground, now no more than a heap at Vivi's feet.  
  
"But you said-" Rory paused as he fried another monster with a firaga spell. "-that the  
mist monsters died out with the mist!"  
  
"I-I thought they were..."  
  
Several minutes passed and still they kept coming. Rory winced and fought back a cry of  
pain as a monster's claws dug into his shoulder. With all his strength, he kicked it away, blood  
gushing out of his arm as he did so.  
  
He paused to get his bearings. He was breathing heavily and his hand was pressed firmly to  
his shoulder in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. The monster who wounded him began  
creeping up to him...  
  
Just as the monster was about to strike again, Rory yelled "Thunderaga!" and pointed his  
rod at the monster with his good arm. Bolts of lightning pummeled the monstrosity until it's  
charred corpse collapsed at his feet.  
  
*This is too much,* thought Rory, his annoyance from earlier being replaced by panic. *I  
almost got killed...* An idea came to him.  
  
"We've got to strike at the source!" he yelled to his grandfather. "They'll keep coming if  
we don't!"  
  
It may have relieved Rory to know that other warriors in the crowd were catching on to the  
same idea. Frecia, the daughter of Freya and a fully trained Burmecian dragoon, spied one of the  
black boxes from which the mist emerged. It was still generating the mist and every so often a  
monster would appear around it. With unparalled speed, she leaped over the monsters' heads,  
grabbed hold of the box, and snapped it shut. The mist gradually dissipated as Frecia fought her  
way back to her mother.  
  
At about the same time, Beatrix cleaved a path through the monster hordes with her  
Climhazzard spell. She saw another of the black boxes just behind the bodies. She walked  
sedately towards it, lifted her sword up high, and brought it down on the box, destroying the  
generator within. She set out in search of the other boxes.  
  
Eventually, all the black boxes were destroyed and the only thing left to do was dispatch  
the remaining monsters. Even this didn't take long as the sudden lack of mist weakened them to  
the point where some of them had collapsed. Suddenly the immediate problem was now the lack of a  
clean-up crew.  
  
The military's white mages who were stationed in Alexandria during the festivities tended  
to the injured, of which there were many. Unfortunately, they were swamped and to worsen the  
situation, nobody seemed to have potions on them. A group of uninjured civilians were rounded up  
and ordered to collect as many potions as they could find.  
  
"Zircon, Siria..." said the queen softly. She had been in the castle for almost the entire  
battle feeling weak and useless. What use was she during that time? She had too weak to cast any  
magic...  
  
"Yes, your majesty?" said Siria. She and Zircon had been doing their duty and had only now  
returned to check on Garnet to if she was safe and if she had any orders.  
  
"I presume you've already ordered your soldiers to search the perimeter?"  
  
"Yes, your majesty."  
  
"Listen... I want a full investigation into the Juuroku movement. If they are truly the  
ones responsible for poisoning me, then most likely they are behind the attack today. I want to  
know why they put so many lives at risk..."  
  
  
The Ornitier family headed towards the castle.  
  
"Are you sure Rory's going to be alright?" asked Kory. His children had been at their most  
uncooperative during the battle. All of them at one time or another had almost slipped away,  
only to be dragged back by Kory. They were all under some degree of control now, a few of them  
silent, a few of them telling each other how cool it all was, and a few of them sniffling.  
  
"Y-yes, I th-think so," answered Vivi. "The wound wasn't l-life threatening. But Nanami'll  
t-take care of him."  
  
"I guess you're right..."  
  
They were stopped at the gate by two Alexandrian guards. "Halt!" said the first one, who  
had the brightest red hair that Vivi had ever seen. "State your business!"  
  
"M-my name is V-vivi Ornitier and I-I'm here to see the queen," said Vivi timidly, trying  
to make himself as small as possible.  
  
The red-haired girl turned to her blonde partner. "Alice, go inform General Siria." Alice  
saluted and ran off into the castle.  
  
A full half and hour passed before she came back. "Her majesty, Queen Garnet Alexandros  
XVII will receive you now." She began to walk, motioned for the Ornitiers to follow her, and led  
them straight to Garnet. She was talking to Zidane.  
  
"Where did Amethyst go? She disappeared soon after the attack started. Nobody has seen her  
in the crowd either..." Garnet said.  
  
"Relax. I'm sure she's fine. She knows how to take care of herself," said Zidane. He was  
being completely truthful this time around. Her combination of black and summoning magic was  
something to be feared.  
  
"Um, e-excuse me?" said Vivi. Garnet and Zidane turned around and Vivi could see their  
jaws drop in a most unroyal manner.  
  
There were many words to describe Vivi nowadays, but short wasn't one of them. He wasn't  
just tall. He *towered*. He towered so much, he had to stoop to avoid hitting his head on the  
ceiling, and it wasn't if the ceiling itself was all that short either. If Zircon were there,  
he'd make him look like a dwarf. That was how tall he was.  
  
He clutched his hat nervously, stooping even lower than he had to out of embarrassment.  
  
"Grown a bit, have you?" said Zidane. 


End file.
